Better Luck Next Time

I'm a sucker for Audible Originals and Better Luck Next Time caught my eye because Mae Whitman was one of the voice actors (you may remember her from the TV show Parenthood and movies).

The story itself was just 'meh' but it was well narrated with a full cast - complete with background sounds. The time slip aspect was fine, but I didn't like how often singing was included in the story, the weird scientist dude and how miscommunication trope reared its ugly head. 

This was a decent listen but most of my stars come from the narration. It's a story that doesn't stand out from many others and will quickly fade from my memory.  

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Cara Bastone

Genre: Romance, Time Shift

Type and Source: eAudio from Audible.ca

Narrators: Mae Whitman, Colin Woodell and full cast

Publisher: Audible Originals

First Published: May 15, 2025

Read: May 26-28, 2025

Book Description from Audible.ca:  

Two frenemies find a surprising second chance in this timeslip rom-com, starring Mae Whitman (Parenthood), Colin Woodell (The Flight Attendant), and a full cast.

Mona and Duncan used to be best friends. Now they can’t stand each other. Too bad that’s not a good enough excuse to miss their two families’ annual trip to the cabin. But things get really complicated when they accidentally drive through a wormhole together on the way. Look what playing nice and carpooling gets you.

Now they’re stranded indoors by an epic storm and stuck in an alternate timeline where things are just slightly ... off. Duncan and his dad aren’t speaking for reasons no one knows, Mona’s mom doesn’t like her hair or her career choices, and their siblings are meddlesome as ever.

Oh, yeah, and apparently they're going through a divorce. Which means that in this universe they are married. To each other.

All they can really do is play along until they figure out how to get back to the real timeline. How hard can it be—they already hate each other, don’t they? But figuring out how exactly Mona and Duncan managed to fall epically in love with one another—and then break each other’s hearts—is easier said than done. Navigating all these big feelings is leading to new ones, but are they destined to hurt each other in any universe? And what happens to this new relationship when they’re back to their old lives?